30+ YEARS. EVERY LEVEL. ONE MISSION.
You need a trusted
voice in your corner.
That's Alan Major.
Whether you're trying to break into college basketball, level up to a bigger program, or build your first head coaching staff — the journey is hard enough. You don't have to figure it out alone.
MAJOR
CAREER HIGHLIGHTS
🏀 Ohio State — Big Ten 🏆 2007 National Championship Game 🏀 9 NCAA Tournament Appearances 9 NBA Draft Picks Coached 🌍 Rwanda BAL — Historic First Win
🎙️ Rising Coaches — President of Basketball Operations 🏆 D1 Head Coach — UNC Charlotte 🏫 Xavier · Butler · Pacific · Cal Lutheran
WHO THIS IS FOR
Coaches at every stage of the journey.
Every coach hits moments where the path forward isn't clear. Where you need someone who's actually been there — not just read about it — to help you think it through.
With over 30 years across every level of college basketball, from Division III to the Big Ten, Alan Major has lived the journey you're on. He's been the young assistant trying to get a foot in the door. The experienced assistant wondering when his head coaching shot was coming. The head coach figuring it out on the fly.
That experience is now in your corner. Whether you need help navigating a career move, building your coaching philosophy, sharpening your network, or simply want a trusted second set of eyes on your program — that's what this work is about.
The Young Assistant
You're trying to break in or move up. You need someone who can help you build your network, tell your story, and open the right doors.
The Experienced Assistant
You've put in the time and you're ready for a head coaching opportunity. Let's build your philosophy, sharpen your interview presence, and position you to land the job.
The Head Coach
You want a trusted outside voice — someone who will watch your program closely, give you honest observations, and deliver feedback the right way.
— MY STORY
It started with a backyard hoop.
"My love for the game — and the chance to impact young people's lives through coaching — has kept me in this for over 30 years."
— ALAN MAJOR
Growing up in Indianapolis, Indiana, there was a backyard hoop that got constant use. The older guys in the neighborhood would show up, and even though Alan was younger, they let him jump in. They gave him confidence that he belonged. And as he got older, he made sure he did the same for the younger kids coming up behind him.
By age 13, the decision was made: coaching was the path.That instinct — to teach, to invest in people, to help them become better versions of themselves — has never faded. It droveover 30 years in college basketball, beginning at the D3 level at Cal Lutheran University under Mike Dunlap — where the program won 2 SCIAC titles and reached the NCAA D3 Sweet 16 — and working all the way up to seven seasons at Ohio State in the Big Ten. In 2007, that staff played for the national championship.
Along the way, Alan worked alongside some of the most respected coaches in the country — Thad Matta, Bruce Weber, Mike Dunlap, and Steve Lavin. He's been a head coach at the Division I level. He's recruited across the country, built staffs, developed players, and navigated every situation this profession can throw at you. That experience doesn't stay on the résumé — it shows up in every conversation with a client.
Some of the most meaningful work has come away from the sideline. Two years as a volunteer consultant to Butler Men's Basketball— attending practices, watching film, sending detailed post-game observations to the head coach — proved that a trusted outside perspective, delivered the right way, can sharpen even a high-level program. That model became the foundation for how Alan consults today.
The approach has always been the same: not walking in with all the answers, but asking the right questions. Offering a thoughtful perspective. Letting the coach decide what's worth considering. The goal is always to serve — never to overshadow.
One thing that doesn't always show up on a coaching résumé but speaks volumes: in the final two seasons at UNC Charlotte, both teams finished with team GPAs above 3.0. Wins matter. So does developing young men who are ready for life after basketball. That balance has always been part of the mission.
That same commitment led to opportunities across the globe — serving as Head Coach for a Nigerian National Basketball Team FIBA World Cup qualifier, coaching at the Olympic Training Camp in Oakland, leading the Rwanda Patriots in the Basketball Africa League, and directing NBA Basketball School camps in Italy and Poland. The game opens doors when you show up ready to serve it.
For the past three years, Alan has served as President of Basketball Operations for Rising Coaches — one of the most listened-to platforms in college basketball coaching — having hundreds of conversations with coaches at every level about what it really takes to grow in this profession.
It started on a backyard court with older guys who believed in a kid who wanted to learn. Everything since then has been about paying that forward.
CAREER AT A GLANCE
2023–Now President of Basketball Operations, Rising Coaches · Volunteer Analyst/Advisor, Butler · Consultant, Elizabeth City State
2025 Technical Director, NBA Basketball School (Italy & Poland)
2021–22 Assistant Coach, San Diego (under Steve Lavin) · Head Coach, Nigerian National Basketball Team (FIBA qualifier) · Olympic Training Camp Coach
2021 Head Coach, Rwanda Patriots — Basketball Africa League · Historic First Ever BAL Win · 4th Place Finish in Inaugural Season
2018–19 Director of Player Development, University of Texas Women's Basketball
2010–15 Head Coach, UNC Charlotte · 2013 NIT (First Postseason Since 2008) · Great Alaska Shootout Champions (2012) · Puerto Rico Shootout Champions (2013, upset over ranked Michigan) · 3.0+ Team GPA (Final Two Seasons)
2004–10 Assistant Coach, Ohio State University · 2007 National Championship Game · 3x Big Ten Champions · 4x NCAA Tournament Appearances
2001–04 Assistant Coach, Xavier University · 2x Atlantic 10 Champions · 3x NCAA Tournament Appearances · Elite Eight
1999–01 Assistant Coach, University of Pacific (under Bob Thomason) · Big West Champions (1997) · First NCAA Tournament Since 1979 · #1 NBA Draft Pick Michael Olowokandi
1992–95 Assistant Coach, Cal Lutheran University (under Mike Dunlap) · 2x SCIAC Champions · NCAA D3 Sweet 16 (1994)
HOW WE CAN WORK TOGETHER
Every conversation starts
with where you are.
There's no one-size-fits-all approach here. Whether you're looking for ongoing support, a second set of eyes on your program, or someone to speak to your staff or group — it starts with a simple conversation.
01
1-on-1 Consulting
A direct, ongoing relationship built around your specific situation — career navigation, philosophy development, staff culture, recruiting strategy, or wherever you need the most support. Real work, done together at your pace.
02
Program Observation
A trusted outside perspective on your program. Attend practices, review film, and receive honest observations delivered the right way — not to challenge your authority, but to sharpen what you're already building.
03
Speaking & Clinics
Available for coaching clinics, staff retreats, and speaking engagements. Topics drawn from 30+ years of experience — career development, network building, head coach preparation, and building a coaching philosophy that holds up.
NOW LISTENING
The Rising Coaches Podcast
Join me and my co-host for honest conversations about what it really takes to build a career and a life in college basketball coaching.
PLAYER DEVELOPMENT
Coached at the highest level.
Developed players for the next one.
One mark of a great program is the talent it produces. Working alongside players who reach the highest level gives a coach rare insight into what elite development actually looks like — and that knowledge shapes every client conversation.
OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY
Greg Oden
#1 Overall Pick, 2007
Mike Conley Jr.
#4 Pick, 2007
Evan Turner
#2 Overall Pick, 2010
Daequan Cook
NBA Draft, 2007
Kosta Koufos
NBA Draft, 2008
BJ Mullens
NBA Draft, 2009
XAVIER UNIVERSITY
David West
NBA Draft, 2003
Lionel Chalmers
NBA Draft, 2004
UNIVERSITY OF THE PACIFIC
Michael Olowokandi
#1 Overall Pick, 1998
GLOBAL EXPERIENCE
The game took me around the world.
🇳🇬
Nigerian National Basketball Team
Served as Head Coach for a FIBA World Cup qualifier. Also worked as a coach at the Olympic Training Camp in Oakland, California — experience that sharpened both tactical thinking and cross-cultural leadership.
🌍
Rwanda Patriots — Basketball Africa League
Served as Head Coach of the Rwanda Patriots in the inaugural Basketball Africa League (Kigali, Rwanda) — recording the first ever win in BAL history and finishing 4th. Also served as assistant coach for the 2021 AfroBasket Championships.
🌐
NBA Basketball School — Europe
Served as Technical Director for NBA Basketball School camps in Lithuania, Italy and Poland - working directly with young players and coaches across Europe.
THE TRACK RECORD
From D3 Sweet 16 to the
National Championship Game.
9
NCAA Tournament Appearances
2007
NCAA National Championship Game — Ohio State
2012
Great Alaska Shootout Champions — UNC Charlotte
9
NBA Draft Picks Coached Across Three Programs
3
Sweet 16 Appearances
3x
Big Ten Regular Season Championships
2013
Puerto Rico Shootout Champions — Upset over Ranked Michigan
2
#1 Overall NBA Draft Picks Coached
2
Elite Eight Appearances
4x
Atlantic 10 Championships
3.0+
Team GPA — Charlotte's Final Two Seasons
30+
Years in College Basketball
1
Final Four Appearance
2x
SCIAC Championships — Cal Lutheran (D3)
1st
Ever Win in Basketball Africa League History — Rwanda Patriots
4
Countries Coached In
LET’S CONNECT
Let's start with a conversation.
No pressure, no pitch. Just two people who love this game talking about where you are and where you want to go. Reach out anytime — every message gets a personal response.